My Cat's Top Ten Movies of 2021

 As is traditional, Gizzie cat likes to share his favourite films for the past year.

10. The Last Leonardo - fascinating documentary about a disputed painting, which some experts believe to be a work of Da Vinci - hilarious but true behind the scenes film about the workings of the international art market

9. The Courier - 'true' story of a British business man recruited by M16 to infiltrate Russia - excellent and inspiring cold war story

8. De Gaulle - richly depicted biographical film, contrasting De Gaulle's love for his daughter, who has Down's Syndrome, with the Nazis' massacre of so many considered genetically impure. Inspiring, though not quite as good as recent films about Winston Churchill.

7. French Exit - Michelle Pfieffer is brilliant. Funny and absurdist comedy set in Paris, with unexpected turn from the cat.

6. Truffle Hunters - beautifully filmed documentary about a small traditional community of truffle hunters, their relationships with their dogs, and the increasing impact of capitalism on their lifestyle

5. Pig - loss and grief saturates this superbly acted film - Nicholas Cage and Adam Arkin are both brilliant

4. Death of a Ladies Man - charming, poignant; Gabrielle Byrne is brilliant

3. Promising Young Woman - powerful, clever and darkly humorous and disturbing story of revenge

2. Don't Look Up - witty comedy about how politicians, the media, the general public react to news of the apocalypse, be it a plant-killing comet, covid19, or climate change - stay for the early credits for final scene  [Editor's note: Gizzie likely intended to write a "planet-killing comet"]

1. Nomadland for the gorgeous cinematography and poignant depiction of life on the road for those with limited economic choices

Top Ten Movies of 2021

A quiet year for movies. Even though the cinemas here were open all but a handful of days, many major releases were held back as the pandemic raged elseswere. So there are more classics and independent films than normal in my list, and only two US productions in all. 

10. The Duke - dramatisation of the events surrounding Kempton Bunton's "borrowing" of a Goya masterpiece in England 1961, starring Jim Broadbent. 

9. The Last Vermeer -  dramatisation of the events surrounding Han van Meegeren's forgery of Vermeer masterpieces in Amsterdam during WWII, starring Guy Pearce.

8. The Night House - mind-warping horror with alternate realities coming together, with Rebecca Hall 

7. Shadow in the Cloud - WWII horror with a gremlin attacking a bomber's flight crew

6. Mothering Sunday - a mix of Downton Abbey and Brideshead Revisited, based on Jonathan Swift's novel

5. Cruella - spectacularly entertaining origin story with Emma Stone. Screenplay by Tony McNamara.

4. Shiva Baby - the best shiva comedy of the year

3. The Lady Vanishes (1938) - not only a wonderful script, but a glimpse into history

2. The Ladykillers (1955) - worthy in its own right, but also historically interesting to see post-war London

1. Last Night in Soho - Edgar Wright's wonderful horror thriller. 

And honourable mentions go to:

The Dry

French Exit

The Royal Tenenbaums

The Life Aquatic

The Suicide Squad

 

Top TV of 2021

A decent year for streaming, with some gems amongst the mediocrity. Here are my favourites so far.

10. Upload - a murder-mystery technology dystopia. 

9. The Enfield Haunting - true 1970s horror.

8. Behind Her Eyes - schlocky thriller with a twist or two

7. Mr Mercedes - Stephen King's series brought to life by Brendan Gleeson

6. The Great - written to Perth's very own Tony McNamara

5. Locke and Key - yes, it's embarrassing to include a YA show in this list

4. Ghosts - consistently laughy

3. Wasted - the more juvenile successor to Spaced?

2. Only Murders in the Building - clever plotting and witty too, with Steve Martin and Martin Short

1. Bridget and Eamon - ridiculous Irish comedy set in the 80s, my decade. An unhappily married couple with between six and eight children.  

And special mentions to:

Brassic

Inside No 9

Mindhunters

Dr Death 

Succession 

The North Water 

What We Do in the Shadows 

Vigil 

The Marvellous Mrs Maisel 

The Walking Dead 

Fear the Walking Dead

Hopefully the Wheel of Time can be added to this list, once I binge through it.

Rainy July

July in Perth broke many rainfall records, as one cold front after another pounded the southwest corner of the state. It rained on all but three days, the highest number of rain days since 1946. The total of 271mm was only 7mm short of the record for recent decades of 278mm in 1995, although the all-time record was over 400mm in the 1940s. 

Favourite Podcasts

Although I do spend 90% of my free time preparing content for this blog, in the remainder of my time I listen to numerous podcasts. Here are my current favourites.

Kermode and Mayo's Film Review - self-explanatory

Monster Talk - scholarly chat about unexplained creatures

The Prancing Pony Podcast - analysing Tolkien's writings, chapter by chapter

St Elwick's Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Podcast - from Mike Wozniack, this is of interest even if you're not a resident of St Elwick 

Beef and Dairy Network - not suitable for vegetarians

Dr Karl - Science talkback

Must Watch - BBC radio 5 review of the best on tv and streaming

The Skewer - stream of consciousness news comedy 

The Sword and Laser - science fiction and fantasy book club

The Talking Dead - for fans of the Walking Dead

 

Autumn Vineyards

 Although Perth's autumn colours are subdued compared to those of North America, Europe and New Zealand, there are still beautiful pockets. Last weekend I visited the Perth Hills, for an emergency purchase of wine, and to appreciate the change of seasons. Here are the views from Fairbrossen, and Myattsfield Wineries.

Garden Tiger

 My young cat (age 100 in human years), spends plenty of quality time guarding his back lawn. Here he is, busy at work.

Apocalypse over the Flozza

 A couple of months ago, prescribed burns led to smoke smothering the metropolitan area. This was the apocalyptic scene from the upper deck of the Floreat Forum car park, reminiscent of the classic film These Final Hours.

Thanks to the Guardian

 I'm proud of how many Guardian newspaper articles I've managed to read on my little iPhone recently. Of course, they're trying to guilt me into subscribing, and I happily would do so if they offered a printed version, but an online news site is simply a way for me to waste my time. And they should be pleased that they're producing so much free content that's of interest to me. In fact, they should be awarding me a prize for most dedicated customer !

Getting my vaccination

I'm now officially immune from COVID 19. Okay, technically I've only had my first jab, but still, it's a wonderful feeling to know I'm on the path to the other side (and I don't mean dying).

A few weeks ago, I happened to be browsing the state government's vaccination website, and found that the online bookings page was now open for business. I knew it was due to be launched the following day, but it seems that they went live early. So I excitedly booked myself in for a few days later, for the earliest slot at the Claremont showgrounds mass vaccination site. That explains the lack of people in this snap:

 

I went into my little cubicle with the nurse, had a little chat and it was over in no time. Then I immediately booked my second jab for 10 weeks later, and sat around for 15 minutes to make sure there was no immediate reaction to my injection. I was offered a free fruit juice or bottle of water, and then was on my way.

 

My Cat's Top Ten Films of 2020

As is traditional, Gizzie cat has ranked his favourite films of the past twelve months. Interestingly, there are only a couple of American movies amongst them. Few US films were released in 2020 so the cinemas mostly showed international and independent films. Here they are in reverse order:

10. The Personal History of David Copperfield (UK)

9.   The Current War (US)

8.   The Booksellers (US)

7.    Burnt Orange Heresy (International)

6.   The Gentleman (UK)

5.   The Furnace (Australia)

4.    Radioactive (UK)

3.   The Trip to Greece (UK)

2.    Dark Waters (US)

1.   Mank (US)

And an honourable mention to Belle Epoque (France).